Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak announced the Oakland Raiders have officially filed for relocation to Las Vegas. The NFL also released a statement saying:

“Today, the Oakland Raiders submitted an application to relocate their franchise to Las Vegas, as is provided for under the NFL Policy and Procedures for Proposed Franchise Relocations. The application will be reviewed in the coming weeks by league staff and the Stadium and Finance Committees. The relocation of a franchise requires the affirmative vote of three-quarters of the NFL clubs (24 of 32).”

Make no mistake, Mark Davis and the Oakland Raiders will do everything in their power to move the franchise to Las Vegas by 2020. Their current plan is to play 2 or 3 years at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum until the stadium in Vegas is finished. Davis has done everything up to this point to move the team to Vegas. However, the decision is not entirely up to him, but to the other 31 NFL team owners. Remember, Mark needs to get 24 of the 32 votes to relocate. It is speculated that the vote will take place at the owner’s meeting in Phoenix in late March.

“A move to Vegas would jeopardize the loyalty of the fan base.”

That is the deadline for Oakland to keep the Raiders. Remember, the NFL and Roger Goodell have been transparent about this for years. They would rather the Raiders stay in Oakland. Oakland has a market more than 3 times the size of Vegas, and one of the most passionate fan bases in the entire NFL. A move to Vegas would jeopardize the loyalty of the fan base. The Bay Area also houses a number of wealthy people and businesses in downtown San Francisco and Silicon Valley, which could present unlimited business opportunities that would further deepen the pockets of the NFL and its owners. Not to mention, the 49ers on the other side of the bay have become a disaster, leaving the Bay Area market open to control by the Raiders. Coupled with the Raiders recent success, this would absolutely make more money for Mark Davis and his organization. In addition, San Diego just moved to Los Angeles. This is significant for two reasons. The first is that this move has had some resounding negative repercussions. Everyone in San Diego is upset, the Chargers have almost no fan base in LA (as most of the fans in LA are loyal to the Raiders), they had a logo disaster, and will have to move into an interim stadium that only holds 30,000 people in a LA market that has not proven it can hold two NFL teams. Secondly, Las Vegas is only four hours away from Los Angeles. Therefore, it is possible that three teams could be located in a close proximity and their markets could collide. All of this is speculation, but is definitely a risk that would be alleviated if they chose to stay in Oakland.

I will not go into much detail now, but you can read more by visiting one of my past articles here: Why the Raiders and Vegas are a Bad Idea. Las Vegas’s market is suspect. There is no guarantee that the market can hold up, or that they will have people who will consistently pay for tickets and PSL’s (a huge source of funding for the stadium), especially if the team fails to win. In addition, most of the Las Vegas population are unhappy that the Raiders might move to Vegas due to the 750 million dollars coming from the Vegas government that could be spent elsewhere.

“It is obvious that Oakland is the better market.”

I am not saying Las Vegas won’t work out. It might very well, but it is not worth the risk if there is a viable option in Oakland. It is obvious that Oakland is the better market and that is the way the owners “should” and probably will vote if Oakland comes up with a viable option.

At the moment, Oakland has no viable option, however, the Raiders are not gone yet. With a deadline in place, Oakland has until the middle of March to bring the NFL owners a viable option. It doesn’t need to be equal to the Vegas move, but it must be a good option for the Raiders. If they can come with that plan, the Raiders will stay in Oakland.

“When the dust settles, the Raiders will stay in Oakland.”

Ronnie Lott, Marcus Allen, and Andrew McKnight (Fortress Investment Group) complete one step of the many to keep the Raiders in Oakland

Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group

My Take

Personally, I am worried that the Raiders may be on their way out of town, but I am still hopeful that when the dust settles, the Raiders will stay in Oakland. It is worrisome that the future of the organization will come down to a vote, but I think Ronnie Lott and his Fortress Group will come up with a viable proposal. The media has slashed Oakland for not coming up with any proposals and not making any progress, but I don’t think that is the reality. Lott is working tirelessly and coming up with alterations to his first proposal to keep the Raiders in Oakland. It isn’t that there aren’t any proposals, but rather that they are just not making headlines and press releases.

Colin Cowherd Calling it a Done Deal that the Raiders move to Las Vegas

Remember, Kronke didn’t make any headlines until he had a proposal ready to go. Look at him now: he got his multi-billion dollar stadium and an NFL team in LA. Oakland doesn’t need to be in the news, they just need a proposal that works by March.

Also, good news for those hoping that the Raiders stay in Oakland is that many major officials came out today and spoke vehemently against the Raiders moving from Oakland. Here are some of the quotes and videos:

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf on Raider’s Relocation:

“It’s no surprise that the Raiders have filed for relocation. Oakland welcomes the chance to show them and the NFL’s other owners why Oakland is the only home for the Raiders and always will be.”

“Our winning team of the Lott Group, the County and my colleagues on the Oakland City Council has accomplished so much in the last few months. We’ve identified the mechanisms to responsibly finance public infrastructure improvements, we have in the Lott Group a private partner prepared to finance stadium construction, and we have an entitled site for a world-class NFL stadium and new development that enhances fan experience while invigorating East Oakland’s economy.”

“But this isn’t all Oakland has to offer. Oakland’s Raiders stadium will be on the most transit-accessible site in the nation, in the sixth largest television market, and in one of the wealthiest and most innovative regions in the world. But above all else, Oakland has something no other city ever will — a die-hard fan base that is loyal and true to the Raiders and wants to see them stay here in Oakland where they were founded. Only Oakland brings the Raiders and the NFL a competitive stadium proposal, along with legacy and loyalty.”

I can not guarantee or speak on the progress that might be made with Oakland, Ronnie Lott’s group, and the Raiders. I have no close sources working in the situation and can’t guarantee anything. However, I am hopeful that they will get something done. If they do get it done, the Raiders will be in Oakland. Here is Dr. Death and Zennie Abraham, who have sources close to the situation and have talked about the recent news involving the Raiders and Oakland:

Zenophon “Zennie” Abraham serves as both Chairman and CEO of Sports Business Simulations (SBS) and Executive Producer / CEO of Zennie62Media.com, Inc. with the blog Zennie62.com and the companion YouTube channel Zennie62 On YouTube. I am also at @Zennie62 On Twitter.

Ryan is currently a student at the University of North Carolina. He grew up in the Bay Area and has had Raiders season tickets his entire life fostering his love for the NFL. He has founded his own sports website, thejrreport.com and works at the Sports Desk for the Daily Tar Heel. You can follow Ryan on twitter @rytime98 if you want to discuss anything sports.